Simply a great show, there was not one character I disliked, which can be attributed to the flawless casting (the one thing Marvel always seems to get right these days) and most of them had at least some time to shine. (Don't click the spoilers if you aren't done with the season) The inclusion of Rosario Dawson's character was a bit clumsy in the way they silently dropped her for most of the series at one point only to have her pop back in randomly later but I still liked her. Special shoutout to Foggy putting down lawyer girl and the Karen/Foggy drinking scenes.
It also solves the villain problem Marvel had for the longest time remarkably well. Now it seems that D'onofrio's performance as Fisk is more polarizing that I'd have thought while watching it but I'm firmly in the supporting camp. He has that certain menacing presence to him and his awkwardness/nervousness only enhances the feeling that his unstable mood could switch from sympathetic to murderous at any time . The scene where he kills Ben Ulrich deserves to be mentioned here. The action scenes are well done for the most part, certainly a cut above what Arrow/Flash/AoS are showing (though AoS improved greatly on that point), some of the flip kicks are maybe a bit much. A nice little touch is that the fighters (including Daredevil) get tired as fights drag on and are affected by injuries they recieved earlier. Sloppy punches and kicks, longer, heavier windups, the fighters even take small breaks to catch there breath from time to time. It does the by now worn out "dark and gritty" without sacrificing lighthearted scenes or humerous quips, which is why I buy the connection to the MCU. It simply shows a different place and a different side of what we already know which is exactly what these "street level" shows (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist being the other ones) are supposed to do and It doesn't feel jarring to me even if Daredevil is an extremely brutal show at times. Anybody else think of Sleeping Dogs when Fisk bashed that guy's head off with a car dor?
Generally, the connection to the MCU is a strength because the show does it without getting in your face too much. What happens in Avengers is simply referred to as "the incident". For everybody who knows and cares to pick up on it, it adds texture to both this show and to the Avengers retroactively. It shows that the battle for New york isn't just a bunch of explosions, flashy lights and (awesome) action sequences but that there is fallout, there are consequences that have an impact on the world, that others have to deal with, which we get to see here. For everybody who doesn't know the show works regardless as a quality standalone piece. I'm really curious how Marvel will tackle the big Infinity War event down the line and how much these connections will pay off.
One thing I'd be interested in hearing other people talk about is the pacing. Netflix shows usually have problems with the pacing because they're not bound by the limits of other TV shows in that they can go on for however long they please. What could be an advantage often ends up creating scenes that feel bloated or padded because there was ultimately was no need to cut them down (House of Cards certainly has this problem at times). Daredevil actually is the first Netflix show I didn't have this issue with though that probably is because I was so interested in what the characters had to say that it alwas felt engaging even if the scene dragged on for a while. A seond viewing will most likely give a better impression of that.
In summary I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised by how great Daredevil turned out to be. I'd say everybody even remotely interested should give this a look even if you're not especially into superhero stuff. Once you get over Daredevil's super senses it is the most grounded of the superhero shows out there and doesn't venture into supernatural territory at all really.
Log in to comment